Axle frozen to inner bearing :(

[arp35]

I removed three of the six axles on my 950 with no problems. However the middle right side axle is frozen solid in the inner bearing. I removed the other side middle axle and ran a steel rod through the opening and tried to hammer it out. It will not budge. I have beaten up the inner bearing so it will need to be replaced. I am letting it soak in PB Blaster over night. Anyone else conquered this problem with an inner bearing sleeve frozen to the axle. I may go buy a propane torch and heat the crap out of it. Would it be possible to cut the bearing off? There is not much room since it is inside the center channel. Let me know your suggestions.
Al

[JoeMeg]

Get yourself a nice little air motor for $ 10-20 at HF. Use a " Reinforced Cut-off Wheel". Carefully cut thru the brg race,or whatever,down to the axle. Try not to score the axle too much but a little wont kill it. Once it is cut thru it will come off quite easily. Brg races are hardened and will "shatter" nicley also. Wear saftey glasses!!, wrap the patient in a shop towel and apply a few blows w/ hammer. Good luck. Joe.

[racerone3]

you may have set screws or an ecentric collar that need to be removed from the inner bearing before the axle can come out. if those are removed, you might be able to remove the ecentric from the outer and drive the axle further into the machine. this would pop the inner bearing out of it's holder and give you room to cut it off.

[jeffery9076]

i have rachet strapped the opposite side down and then rachet strap the axle to be removed with a four bolt hub on that end tight tension, 5lb hammer after a good soaking penetrating lube. mark with a marker to check for movement and give your self a work out has never failed me yet. But like racerone3 said make sure you have the set screw out some of mine had 1 screw some have 2. When attaching ratchet strap to axle being removed try to have the tension tight and strap should stay straight with the axle to be pulled. GOOD LUCK

[arp35]

you may have set screws or an ecentric collar that need to be removed from the inner bearing before the axle can come out. if those are removed, you might be able to remove the ecentric from the outer and drive the axle further into the machine. this would pop the inner bearing out of it's holder and give you room to cut it off.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will try to see if I can push it in further to give me more room to operate. I am not sure if the outer bearing will slide on the axle, but I will take a look later today. I have come to find out that nothing is easy with these old beasts. My left shoulder aches from banging on it last night. Is it correct to say that Buffalo Bearings is the place to call for the replacement parts (once I hack it off)?

[hydromike]

arp,

Buffalo bearings is just one of MANY places that will have, or can get, a replacement bearing for you. Check out Motion Industries (540 Trade Center Street
Montgomery, AL 36108-2102 (334) 262-5786) since they're right down by you. My experience is that you can either just call them up, or walk up to the parts folks there and they're always more than happy to find you the part you need.

~m

[duckhunt81]

I have done what racerone3 has stated as far as pushing the axle inward, but I used a chisel and hammer to shatter the outer race and remove the balls and retainers. For some reason I want to think that I was able to slide the axle out?? I think that the sprocket will slide over the inner race of the inner bearing, and then you can remove that race with the axle on a bench.

[arp35]

arp,

Buffalo bearings is just one of MANY places that will have, or can get, a replacement bearing for you. Check out Motion Industries (540 Trade Center Street
Montgomery, AL 36108-2102 (334) 262-5786) since they're right down by you. My experience is that you can either just call them up, or walk up to the parts folks there and they're always more than happy to find you the part you need.

~m

Wow...I have now found the one advantage to living near Montgomery Thanks for the lead...

[arp35]

Well hopefully I can sneak off base and begin hammering, chiseling, heating, swearing, etc. And then I still have 2 more axles to remove, not to mention, attempting to remove the outer bearing from the axle as well
Looks to be a fun weekend.

[arp35]

Well I finally managed to cut the inner bearing off the axle. I had to cut through the outer housing then cut through the inner housing that was frozen on the axle. It was a PITA and took me about 1 1/2 hours. I did make one cut in the axles end, do you think it will cause a problem once I put a new bearing on? The other five axles came off without a hitch, however I still have to tackle removing the outer bearings tomorrow.
I attached pictures of the carnage. Let me know what you think about the small gouge in the axles end.
Al

[wfo]

i would not worry about that gouge..just clean it up..clean up the whole axle before you try to
remove other bearings and sprockets..if you have access to a shop press that would make it alot
easier to remove..

[arp35]

Well I now have all 6 axles out and removed all six of the inner bearings. Out of the 5 left, only one rolls smoothly. Four of them have a ratcheting feel to them so unless there is a fix I will probably replace them all. I have also removed 2 of the outer bearings from 2 of the axles. One slid right off, the other one was frozen so I had to cut it off. I will probably replace them all as well. I have also noticed that one of the axles is bent. There is some slight damage in the middle right side, which is where the axle was and is also where the inner bearing that I had to cut off. I put a right angle up to it and it has about an 1/8 of an inch curve. Can it be straightened? Or should I just find a new axle? I plan on finishing the other 4 axles tomorrow.
Al

[Mike]

You will need to replace the ratcheting feeling bearings. I would suggest just replacing them all like you mentioned while you are in there. It will save you some headaches later and keep you from breaking down while you are out riding. Be glad you took all the axles out now since the bearings were actually bad. For your bent axle you can just straighten it back out. There are a few threads on doing that here on the site if you want to search for them. I've had the best luck with rolling them on a level surface such as a milling machine table top and just marking where I need to bend it. I take it over to the press and bend it just a little bit, put it back on the table and repeat until it is straight. You can also do the same with a sledge hammer and a piece of wood to protect the axle itself.

Good luck.

[arp35]

Thanks Mike...I'm doing a search like you mention. I'll let you know how it goes.

[arp35]

Well I am about ready to remove the frame from the tub I have all six axles off and successfully removed all the bearings (I only had to hack off one inner and one outer bearing). I cleaned/degreased/and polished all the flange plates and the axles. I will paint them black before they go back on. Most of the bearings are useable but have dirt/sand in them so I will call tomorrow to see how much to replace them. I will attempt to bend the axle straight but may bite the bullet and buy a new one. Once I get the frame out, I plan on cleaning/degreasing/sanding then painting it also. Wow I have lots to do I attached some more pictures of my progress, see if you can pick out the bent axle? I still need to clean and oil the chains, I have them all labeled in the bucket, Any suggestions? Unfortunately I will be out of town next week so I won't be able to get dirty again till next Saturday Once I get the frame back together I will tackle the transmission then the engine. I see less money in my pocket for the future...